Jersusalem, Jun 18 (IANS): The Israeli Ministry of Health reported 288 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 19,783.

This is the highest number of daily cases since April 23, when 305 new cases were recorded.

The number of death cases increased from 302 to 303, while the number of patients in serious condition dropped from 39 to 36, out of 136 patients currently hospitalized, Xinhua reported.

The number of recoveries rose to 15,487, with 38 new recoveries, while the number of active cases rose to 3,993, the highest since May 13.

Earlier on Wednesday, emergency regulations were reimposed to deal with a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the state.

The Israeli parliament voted to approve the new regulations after the previous regulations expired at midnight on Monday.

The regulations make wearing masks in public places mandatory and require people suspected of being infected with the virus to stay in home quarantine.

The regulations also impose fines on those who violate them.